Coordination Lapse
by IAmTheLamp
Summary: Dave let something stupid happen and tries to hide it from Bro. Lame summary is lame. Just some brotherly love between Dave and Bro. Seriously rated T ONLY for the language. Plotless fluff.


Dave tried to slip into the apartment discreetly, though he knew before trying that it was pointless.

"Hey kid," Bro greeted, nonchalant as he watched the television.

"Hey," was the sharp response from Dave, keeping his head down, slinking away toward his room.

"You okay?"

"Yeah." He kept a hand on the stem of his glasses to keep them from falling off. The wind pressed itself out of his lungs as he collided with someone and cursed under his breath. Damn Bro and his flashstepping.

"What?"

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, Bro."

"Dave, you wanna know what's so great about our relationship?"

"Not really."

"It's that we're so honest with each other," he continued, ignoring Dave's answer. "'Cause what kind of a jackass would lie to his brother?"

Dave didn't answer, pulling his glasses back onto his face before dropping his hands to his sides so as to not look suspicious.

"Dave."

"What?"

"What did you do?"

"Nothing." He pushed his glasses up again quickly, and again when they slipped down immediately after.

"Dave, I'm serious."

"I'm serious too, Bro."

"Dave."

"Bro." Dave pushed his shades up once again.

"Why are these-" Bro shot his hand forward and snatched the eyewear from Dave's face before he could even protest. "Jesus Christ, Dave…"

"I'm fine; give me my shades back."

"Not before you say what happened, man. Only I am allowed to kick your ass."

"You seriously think this was another person?"

"Considering the black eye and all the cuts, I would say yes. Am I mistaken?"

"Yes, now give them back."

"Tell me what happened first."

"I don't have to tell you shit."

"You do if you want these babies back."

"Nothing happened. Come _on_ Bro, I got those from John."

"I know you've got some sort of thing for that kid (which I won't go into because reasons), but I don't actually give a damn how you got these. Tell me."

Dave sighed exasperatedly, eyes narrowed at the light he was so unused to.

"Dave, just stop being a baby and tell me. I've seen worse. I've _had_ worse. I've_ INFLICTED_ worse."

"Then why does it even matter?"

"Because, you little shit, believe it or not I do care about you. Even if I didn't, I'm legally obligated to keep track of you."

"I'm fine, it doesn't even hurt."

"Of course it doesn't, but I bet if I flicked your cheek you'd scream or something."

"I would not."

"I'm not letting you get away with not telling me. You are aware of that, aren't you?"

Dave pursed his lips, frustrated with his brother's persistence.

"Dave… Answer me or you'll wake up for the next _month _with lil' Cal in your face."

"You wouldn't."

"I would. Just suck it up and tell me."

"…It's stupid."

Bro rolled his eyes behind his anime shades. The average person would have no idea, but he knew Dave would be able to pick up the motion, especially with his _own_ shades off.

"It's stupid and it's nothing." He tried to move past Bro, who stepped in front of him.

"Sounds interesting."

"Bro…"

"Dave."

"Dirk!"

The older blinked. It wasn't an everyday thing, his brother calling him by his actual name. "You think I'm gonna make fun of you, or what? We all have lapses in coordination, if that's what it is, dude."

The younger pursed his lips tighter.

"I'm dead serious. Just 'cause you're always on guard when we spar doesn't mean you can't occasionally walk into crap. Though, that's just… generally uncool. But that's not my point. Talk to me, man."

Dave swallowed his pride and bit down sharply on his bottom lip before immediately stopping. "I got hit in the face with a basketball."

"That all?"

He nodded.

"What'appened?"

"My glasses fell off," he said quietly with a shrug.

Bro raised his eyebrows. "Did anyone see?"

"No… I sort of caught them, fixed the bridge as fast as possible and put them back on before anyone took too much notice."

"You maintained your cool. That's good."

"I guess that's dandy, but they won't stay on my face now, and it's frustrating as hell."

Bro examined at the glasses he had confiscated. "That's because the frame is bent, little man."

"Oh, awesome," Dave muttered.

He took his own glasses off and hooked them on his shirt, wincing at the light and regretting taking them from Dave like he had, with so little warning. "Go get ice. Chill in your room. I'll fix them."

"I do hope that pun was either unintentional or purely ironic."

"The first one."

"I don't need ice."

"Dave, get some goddamn ice, unless you want your face to swell so much that you won't even be able to fit the glasses on your head."

"Jesus, fine…" Dave went to the kitchen and opened the freezer, sidestepping to avoid a falling piece-of-shit weapon before getting ice, while Bro started going through his stuff, on a mission to straighten out the aviators in his hand.

When Dave finally had his ice and started heading to his room, he stopped suddenly, turning to lean his back against the wall and look at his brother.

"Hey Dirk."

"Yeah."

"…Thank you."

Bro let a smirk cross his features, but dropped it when he looked up and saw how serious Dave was. He gave one of his rare, genuine smiles. "No problem, kiddo."

Dave nodded in farewell and turned around again to go down the hall to his room.

"I'll have these fixed when you wake up."

"I know. You never take any longer."

He couldn't help the genuine smile from flickering back into place. Dave knew him so very well.


End file.
